Spain Digital Nomad Visa in 2026: Income, Documents and the Path to Permanent Residence

Do you work remotely for a foreign company or for clients abroad and want to live in Spain legally, together with your family? The digital nomad visa was designed for exactly that. It requires no investment, gives a residence permit for up to three years and opens the way to permanent residence after five years, while a special tax regime can bring your income tax rate down to 24%. In 2026, however, the income threshold went up and consulates check documents more strictly than ever. Here is how much you need to earn, which documents to file and how to avoid a refusal.

The visa at a glance

• Legal basis: Law 14/2013 on support for entrepreneurs (Chapter V bis); the visa was introduced by Law 28/2022 on startups.
• Income in 2026: from €2,849 per month for a single applicant.
• Duration: visa for up to 1 year, residence permit for up to 3 years, then renewals for 2 years.
• Family: spouse or partner, children, dependent parents.
• Outlook: permanent residence after 5 years, citizenship after 10 years.
• Where to apply: at the Spanish consulate where you live, or in Spain through the UGE, the government unit for large companies and strategic groups.

Who the visa is for

Two types of applicants qualify. The first is employees of a foreign company who work remotely. The second is self-employed professionals and freelancers who work with clients abroad. A freelancer may also take on Spanish clients, but they must not exceed 20% of total professional activity.

Mandatory conditions for both types:

• A university degree or a diploma from a recognised vocational or business school, or at least 3 years of experience in your field.
• An employment or contractual relationship with the foreign company of at least 3 months before you apply.
• The employer or client company has been genuinely active for at least 1 year, confirmed by an extract from the commercial register.
• The work can actually be done remotely, and the employer gives written permission to work from Spain.

Important. If you own 100% of your own company and it has been active for more than a year, the 3-month relationship requirement is considered met.

If you are self-employed or a freelancer (autónomo)

The self-employed apply for the same visa, but with a different document package. Instead of an employment contract and employer letter, you need:

• Contracts with foreign clients that have been in force for at least 3 months and provide for remote work.
• Commercial register extracts for your clients: each client company has been active for at least a year.
• Client invoices and bank statements for the last 3 months, with amounts matching the invoices.
• Proof that your business is registered in your home country, for example a sole proprietor certificate.

Several clients make an application stronger than a single one. Spanish clients must not exceed 20% of your total activity. Once you have the permit, you register with the Spanish social security scheme for the self-employed (RETA) and pay contributions yourself.

How much you need to earn in 2026

The income threshold is linked to Spain's minimum wage (SMI). Royal Decree 126/2026 of 18 February 2026 set it for 2026 at €1,221 per month paid 14 times a year, or €17,094 a year. Spread over 12 months, that is €1,424.50. The requirements are calculated from this figure:

• Main applicant: 200%, about €2,849 per month (€34,188 a year).
• First family member: plus 75%, about €1,068 per month.
• Each additional family member: plus 25%, about €356 per month.

What your family needs

• Single applicant: €2,849 per month.
• Couple: €3,917 per month.
• Couple with one child: €4,273 per month.
• Couple with two children: €4,630 per month.

These are gross amounts. Income is proven with payslips or client invoices and bank statements for the last 3 months. If your income falls slightly short, the authorities allow savings to cover the gap for the full permit period, but such an application is weaker. Consulates sometimes calculate the threshold differently, so in practice it is better to show a margin: €3,000 to €3,500 per month for a single applicant.

Important. The threshold is reviewed every year together with the minimum wage. If you plan to apply in early 2027, the amount may go up.

Who can come with you

You can bring your spouse or registered partner, children under 18, adult dependent children who cannot support themselves, and dependent parents of the applicant or spouse. Family members receive a permit for the same period as the main applicant. Siblings and grandparents are not eligible under this visa.

Family members do not need their own income: what matters is that the main applicant's income covers the whole family according to the calculation above.

Documents

• Passport valid for at least 1 year, issued within the last 10 years, with 2 blank pages.
• Application form and photo.
• Employment contract or client contracts, plus an employer letter allowing remote work from Spain.
• Commercial register extract showing the company has been active for at least a year.
• Proof of income for the last 3 months: payslips or invoices and bank statements.
• Diploma or documents proving at least 3 years of experience.
• Criminal record certificates from every country you lived in over the last 2 years, apostilled and translated into Spanish.
• Health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, covering the whole stay.
• Social security document: a certificate that you remain covered by your home country's system (where a bilateral agreement exists) or the employer's registration with Spanish social security.
• Proof of payment of the fee.

All documents in a foreign language must be translated into Spanish. Certificates issued in Russia must carry an apostille. A criminal record certificate is usually valid for 3 months, so order it last.

How to apply: from home or from Spain

Through a consulate

You apply for the visa at the Spanish consulate for your place of permanent residence: for example, residents of Moscow apply at the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow. The visa is issued for up to 1 year. Within 60 days before it expires, while already in Spain, you apply for a residence permit of up to 3 years.

From Spain

If you are legally in Spain, you can apply for the residence permit directly with the UGE online, without a national visa. The permit is issued for up to 3 years, and by law the decision is made within 20 days. Applying from Spain gives a longer permit, but it takes three trips:

• Trip 1: filing the application. Even when filing online, you must be in Spain at the time: usually 1 to 5 days.
• Trip 2: after approval, fingerprinting at the police for your residence card (TIE).
• Trip 3: collecting the residence card.

For the first two trips you need a Schengen visa or another document that allows entry. If you do not have one, obtain it before you apply. To leave Spain while your card is being produced, you request a return authorisation (autorización de regreso): it is valid for up to 90 days and only allows re-entry to Spain. Border guards in other Schengen countries may not accept it in transit, so plan a direct flight back to Spain.

Important. The full document package with apostilles and translations must be ready before the first trip, and you must file while your legal stay is still valid. The trips need planning in advance: we take care of that.

Renewal, permanent residence and citizenship

The permit is renewed for 2 years if the conditions are still met: you keep working remotely, your income stays above the threshold and you have insurance. Losing your job or a drop in income below the threshold can lead to a refused renewal, so plan any change of employer in advance.

After 5 years of legal residence you can obtain permanent residence (long-term residence). Absences from Spain must not exceed 10 months in total over those 5 years. Citizenship is available to Russian nationals after 10 years of residence. Only nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal and France may keep their previous citizenship when naturalising in Spain, so Russian nationals have to formally renounce it.

Taxes: what to know in advance

If you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain, you become a Spanish tax resident and pay tax on your worldwide income at progressive rates. The top rate depends on the region and ranges from 45% to 54%.

Holders of the remote work visa can opt for the special regime for incoming workers, known as the Beckham Law (Article 93 of the Personal Income Tax Act). Since 2023 it explicitly covers people who move to Spain to work remotely on this visa. Its conditions:

• A 24% rate on employment income up to €600,000 a year and 47% above that.
• Applies in the year of the move and the following 5 years.
• You have not been a Spanish tax resident in the previous 5 years.
• The application is filed with the tax agency within 6 months of registering with social security.
• Your spouse and children under 25 can also benefit.

The regime is designed mainly for employees. Self-employed professionals and freelancers usually cannot use it, so their tax model needs a separate calculation. The self-employed register with Spanish social security and pay contributions themselves; for employees of foreign companies, the rules depend on whether a social security agreement exists between the countries.

Important. Tax consequences are individual. Calculate your tax burden and apply for the special regime before the move: a missed deadline cannot be restored.

Spain, Portugal or Greece

• Spain: income from €2,849 per month, permit for up to 3 years, permanent residence after 5 years, 24% tax regime.
• Portugal, D8 visa: income from €3,680 per month (4 times the minimum wage, which is €920 from January 2026).
• Greece: income from €3,500 per month after tax.

For most remote professionals Spain comes out ahead thanks to the lowest income threshold of the three, the long permit and a clear tax regime.

Common reasons for refusal

• Income was calculated using an outdated minimum wage and fell below the threshold.
• The company has been active for less than a year, or no commercial register extract was provided.
• The relationship with the employer or clients is shorter than 3 months.
• No employer letter allowing remote work from Spain.
• A freelancer earns more than 20% of income from Spanish clients.
• Insurance from a company not authorised in Spain, or not covering the full period.
• Certificates without an apostille or translation, or already expired.
• Contracts, invoices and bank statements do not match in amounts and dates.

A separate point for those whose income comes from Russia: Spanish banks check such transfers especially carefully. Decide in advance which account and which country your salary will be paid into, so that your proof of income is clean and easy to follow.

How MIRBEZVIZ helps you get the digital nomad visa

We guide your move from the first consultation to settled life in Spain together with a reliable partner in Europe: lawyers who work with Spanish consulates and the UGE every day.

• We check whether you meet the requirements and calculate the income threshold for your family using the current minimum wage.
• We choose the best application route, a consulate or directly in Spain for up to 3 years, and plan every trip, including the Schengen visa and the return authorisation.
• We prepare and check your package: contracts, employer letters, statements, apostilles and translations, so that every document is consistent.
• We find health insurance that meets the requirements.
• We support the application and the whole process until you receive your residence card.
• We stay with you after the documents are issued: foreigner identity number (NIE), local registration, bank account, renewals and the move to permanent residence.

Message Victoria: in one consultation we will check your income and documents and tell you which route and permit length work best for you.

This information is current as of 15 October 2026. The income threshold is reviewed every year together with the minimum wage, and consulates update their document lists from time to time, so please confirm the details with our specialists before applying.